Search Rue Rude with Google

French Freedom of Speech

The mayor of Calais is suing Marine Le Pen of the Front National for saying "repeatedly" that citizens in Calais need a pass issued by the mayor to get to their own homes (because of the number of migrants in the town). In fact, the passes are issued by the police prefecture.

Who's en colère today?

The SNCF (toujours eux), regional train employees in the Lyons area guaranteeing unpleasant travel from the 17th-21st December
Also yet another strike by Sud-Rail, a particularly truculent SNCF union in the south of France, this time five days in January: 6,7, 21, 22 and 23. "We have no choice." Right.

Sedulia's Sites

Les Miss

One of the funny things that happen to you when you live in a long time in a foreign country is that you get interested in obscure local topics like.... Geneviève de Fontenay, the Lady in the Hat [la Dame au Chapeau], whose real name is the more prosaic Mulmann.

For many years she has been the face of the Miss France contest. Her husband [or rather her concubin] ran it, and after he died, she and her son Xavier took it over. Her distinctive look-- she always wears black-and-white and the same hat in either white-and-black or black-and-white-- and socialist views have made her a distinctive figure on the French scene.

In 2002 she sold the television rights to the Miss France contest to a company called Endemol, and continued to be its host. But there was a scandal around Miss Réunion in 2008, who had, against the rules, previously posed for nude photos, which of course promptly made their appearance after she was elected Miss France. All of the islanders of Réunion united around their Miss-- even the Bishop of Réunion (who had complained that one of the photos showed her in a bikini on a crucifix in a swimming pool). Geneviève de Fontenay was forced to allow Miss Réunion to keep the title of Miss France, but saying that she didn't want to be seen with "a girl like that," she chose the runner-up to accompany her around France and to compete in the Miss World and Miss Universe contests.

Earlier this year, the Lady in the Hat informed Endemol that she was leaving because of the scandals. And on Sunday, 5 December, the same night as the Miss France contest on the television station TF1, she ran her own competing contest, which is called Miss Nationale. The French, with bated breath, got to see not one but two Miss. Miss Brittany won the Miss France contest; Miss Provence won the Miss Nationale contest.

Elaine Sciolino in ParisOf the N.Y. Times (or as it prefers to be known, The N.Y. Times) and writer of La Seduction: How the French Play the Game of Life

Le Franco PhoneyA long-term Australian expat in a French ski resort. I can't believe it took me so long to discover this one.

The Compleat AngloI have to like a blog that is named The Compleat Anglo. An Englishman married to his Madame, in the Basque country

Flipflop France23-year-old Sasha, an Oregonian from Forks (town made famous by the Twilight vampire saga), has settled down in France's second city, Lyons. [No that isn't a mistake. I spell it the old-fashioned English way.]